Hospitals have not necessarily embraced services like social media but are starting to ding that QR codes can help in a number of ways, from tracking patient medication to creating mobile websites. QR codes have been around since the early 1990s but are just beginning to go mainstream in the United States. Qr codes seem to be attractive to marketers because of their low cost and ease of use.

QR codes can help hospitals make one of their biggest marketing challenges more simple; to integrate social media into their marketing efforts. Hospitals can use QR codes in some of the following ways:

Use a QR code to link to a find-a-doctor tool in the hospitals direct mail pieces.

Use a QR code in an article to link to a YouTube video of a doctor explaining how an interesting new procedure works.

Place a QR code on a billboard that links to the hospital’s website so users can scan it to obtain more information.

Some hospitals are integrating the use of QR codes into the ER wait times campaigns to provide patients with information such as average emergency room wait times.

Place a QR code on a hospital website that links to a map or directions to the hospital.

Set up QR codes so that patients can make appointments easily by being connected to a phone number.

Find out information about the hospital such as visiting hours, doctors on call, and more.

Locate hotels, shops, and restaurants that are in close proximity to the hospital.

It is important for hospitals to carefully plan out their use of QR codes. Ideally, a QR code should point to a mobile friendly website that will allow users to obtain information in a fast manner. The basic idea behind QR codes is to make sure the people can easily obtain the information they need when they need it. Hospitals can use QR codes to help overcome marketing challenges and get the word out about their services.